Thursday May 21st

Today was quite a busy day. We fly out at 10:50 tonight which I haven't figured out if that's a good thing or not. Henok should sleep and thanks to Dramamine I'm sure he will (hehehehe)but I just hope he isn't wired when he does wake up! He's a million miles an hour from the time he wakes up til bed. There's no rest for this kid all day long, too much wiggling to rest, so I'm stressin about the plane ride.
Today we visited the fistula hospital where they help the women of Ethiopia in childbirth and repair of obstetrical fistula's if they occur during childbirth. Ok here's the scoop if you didn't watch Oprah 2 years ago when she visited and helped fund this hospital. The women in Ethiopia have small builds, are married VERY young like 12 and 13 in the villages, have extremely small pelvises and babies too big to fit. So when they go into labor they are laboring for like 5-7 days and the babies get stuck in the pelvis, and the pelvic bone and babies head rub against each other creating a tear that creates the fistula. Fistula's cause incontinence and the women are shunned from the society for their horrible smell. Not only do they labor for 7 days, the babies usually are still born and the poor girls have no home. So this wonderful hospital helps repair fistulas, has a maternity ward for those expecting, operating rooms for C-sections when necessary, a recovery center and a special refuge for the women (about 1.5%) that cannot be cured of the fistula. Those 1.5% of women are employed by the hospital for various jobs and live there for the rest of their lives. It is a beautiful sanctuary of hope and a beacon of promise to a country of women who desperately needed aid! The hospital also teaches mid-wifery to women that can go back to their villages and aid others that can't get to the hospital. Such a wonderful experience. Jas and I bought a painting done there of a woman holding her new baby. It's beautiful and our payment helps fund the hospital. Bonus!!
We also went to the orphanage that is loosely affiliated with our orphanage in Ethiopia, Hannah's Hope. It's where Henok was relinquished. We went in and saw the children eating and I started to cry and had to go watch Henok whoop up on some adults in a fun game of soccer cause I just couldn't look at these faces that may or may not find their forever parents.
As I watched Henok I kept thinking, he's a life full of promise. He's got some MAD soccer skills, can shoot hoops in basketball and has more energy than I could dream of having. He is a bundle of potential and with God he could do more than my mind can comprehend. So I am thankful to be apart of his life! As with all my kids, all I want for them is to find their passion and go with God wherever that may take them. Mission field, to be a teacher, pastor, work with kids, whatever it may be - just go with God!!

** We did survive the flight, Henok slept a bunch, so did I. He was great on the plane when he was awake. He's got this show off personality that makes everyone giggle! Too cute. He did however get overly tired and started this incredibly annoying whine thing. So I just held him and endured all the stink-eye glares for having the kid who won't stop whining. Yeah loads of fun!! We made it home at 11:30p.m. to Yakima. 39 hours of travel. Too much for us to put up with, but hallelujah we made it. Now comes the fun part..... adjustment and transition.

Thanks for following our journey to Henok thus far, it's been an exceptional experience. Hmmm....I wonder what's next??

Kala